Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 to Chinese immigrants, and grew up on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. During her childhood, Vera attended the American School of Ballet and went on later to attend Sarah Lawrence College. Vera was also an avid figure skater that competed in National Chapionships for figure skating, until she graduated. She also was in Sorbonne, Paris briefly, but returned to the United States to earn her degree in Art History.
Soon after her graduation Vera began working for Vogue magazine as a Fashion editor and within the year she was promoted to the Senior Fashion Editor and she remained there for 16 years. Seeking a change in her career, she took a job with creative director and design director of accessories for Ralph Lauren, she also got engaged the same year. When she started searching for a wedding dress she was saddened to see that the selection of wedding gowns was scarce for such an important day. So Vera decided to sketch her own gown and took the sketch to a dressmaker and it cost her $10,000.
The next year with her father’s help Vera opened her first Bridal Boutique in the Carlyle Hotel called Vera Wang Bridal House, and it was an upscale boutique that catered to the wealthiest clients. Along with this accomplishment came a line of sophisticated Bridal Wear, and Vera also designed a beaded outfit for Nancy Kerrigan. By this time Wang was well on her way to becoming a renowned designer, as she began to get into the couture fashion and her own line called Vera Wang Made to Order.
This definitely opened many doors for Vera and soon her collections were being sold at many upscale retail stores. In 2001 Vera wrote her first book titled “Vera Wang on Weddings” and shortly after she launched her first fragrance under Unilever Cosmetics International along with a collection of china. Later on that year, she launched a men’s fragrance. Wang has many accomplishments, as she designed uniforms for the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading squad as well as Sarah Jessica Parker wearing her jewelry collection at the Emmy’s.
